A forum for local issues concerning the local free live music scene. Please note that most of the events listed in this News section are ticket only. Please e-mail me if you have a news item you wish to post.

Bellowhead will be performing songs from their debut album "Burlesque" on "Later with Jools Holland" to be broadcast on Friday 1st December, 11:35pm BBC2. They will be sharing the stage with Be Good Tanyas, Keane, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.Find out more: Bellowhead website

On Monday 25th September, a new creative arts and music venue called the "Boileroom" will be holding a pre-launch party featuring performances by GoodBooks : Hipslinky : DJ Goldierocks plus special guests and a few surprises mainly for press and industry. It aims to be an all-round cultural focalpoint for the area, offering comedy, disco, hip-hop, film, folk, funk and soul, Jazz, new up and coming musicians, photography, poetry, rock and roll, Ska and even techo-dance club music. Every month they will have a featured Artist or Photographer or Inspirational Person. In charge of bookings, press and promotion for the Boileroom is Dominique Czoper, who has for many years helped to run Spill Magazine, a highly valued journal for keeping up to date with the movers and shakers in the ever-changing music scene.Press or industry : e-mail dom@boileroom.net

Many clubs and pubs are having noise-monitoring equipment fitting in order to find out the true Db level of both life and recorded music. Many of these devices have been wired into the main electricity supply, and in a similar way to a circuit breaker, it will automatically cut all the power in the building if the sound level goes too high. This as you would imagine can have a very disturbing effect on anyone at the gig or party, and esspecialy the elderly many of whom like to have a proper celebration once in a while. It is also be a curse for the performers who are only there trying to entertain. I can understand that some nearby residents can also get annoyed by the loud music, lots of people having fun, but then most if not all of the pubs were there long before they bought the house. They will have to concede that if they want a local venue to attract enough drinkers to survive in this modern economic climate, live music is becoming an essential part. Its funny how you never get Landlords complaining when there's a noisy residential party. I understand that the venue manager's are being forced, either by the brewery's PR dept or following previous complaints to have these monitors installed. There doesn't seem to be any list available to premises with these noise meters, or even a sign on the door. I think that it should be the respronsibility of the venue to warn both the artists and the audience in anvance about the possible outcome of having a good time. We all have a right to be able to choose.